A big problem with the Armada was that most of the Spanish ships were remodelled merchant ships, Made for carrying goods. They were not battle ships. They were also wide and heavy and could not move very quickly under sail. But at first this did not look like a problem, since the plan, was not to actually engage with battle with the English on the sea. It was to transport the soldiers to England.

The Armada was met with 197 English ships. Many of the English ship were small vessels so the total ship weight was about equal. But the English used many very fast and long ships which had superior long range fire power. Another Problem was that the Spanish were accustomed to the Mediterranean style of fighting which required ramming, so the type of opponents they were fighting against were using totally different tactics. But all this did not mean that the Armada would definitely have lost the battle against the English.

Route taken by the Spanish Armada

Elizabeth I of England, the Armada Portrait, Wobur...

English ships and the Spanish Armada, August 1588.

The English had another tactic that to there surprise, worked a lot better than they expected it to.

The English sent several ships known as "Fire Ships" in the dark towards the armada. Each Fire ship was loaded with several barrels of oil and bundles of wood and all cannons were set to go off when flames reached them. They were set sail as close to the Spanish ships as possible, the fire would be lighted. The crew would then escape at the last possible moment in rowboats. These fire ships sent numerous amounts of Spanish into panic. They cut their anchors, and set sail in the dark. Ships so close together slammed into each other, the whole Spanish crescent (semicircular) formation was totally destroyed.

More European History essays:

... Spain. Phillip also had the support of the Pope who encouraged him to invade England. Elizabeth had been excommunicated from the church so the pope thought she ought to be removed. During the 1560's English ships began to loot Spanish ...

... English ruler but is the only one to have been called 'the Great'. Thus to deserve the title, he must have far surpassed any other English ruler, including Elizabeth I who defeated the Spanish Armada ...

... of need. The English, with the support of the countrymen were well prepared with naval forces for the attack from Spain. When the navy needed men the people responded helping the nation turn into a powerhouse. The battle of the Armada occurred when the Spanish ships ...

... Spanish port where he destroyed their supplies and took an enormous amount of gold and jewels. This caused King Philip to act quickly on his invasion plans. In 1588, the Armada traveled to England under the command of Medina Sidonia ...

... end of the empire. This is a common event that happened several times in history; an example of this would be the tragic end of the Spanish Armada. Trying to protect their possessions, many times one becomes what one fears. We, humans, are full of flaws ...

3 pages26Jan/20060.0

Students & Profs. say about us:

"Good news: you can turn to other's writing help. WriteWork has over 100,000 sample papers"